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June 19, 2008

What to do with Leftover Orzo

When I made the Orzo with Toasted Corn and Scallions the other night, I made a bit too much orzo and just set it aside to deal with another night. So, now I had about 1 cup of cooked orzo with a little bit of EVOO on it and needed to make something out of it. After going through my vegetable bins, I came up with 2 medium zucchini, 1 Vidalia onion and an 8 ounce package of white button mushrooms. Since we were grilling that night, I figured I'd just cut up all those veggies and toss with some EVOO and grill them up. Once they were grilled, I tossed with the orzo to warm it up and then added about 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan to it. Now, by the time dinner was ready - My Husband was making the wraps that were warmed on the grill - the orzo and veggies were a bit more like room temperature. I think it would have been better hot. I also ended up adding a bit of Pasta Sprinkle from Penzey's when I took it for lunch the next day.

While I was not in love with this dish, I think I can improve on it. I think next time, I would saute the veggies rather than grilling them. I would also add more seasonings to it while cooking them. And, once the tomato scare is over, I think perhaps toss in some halved cherry tomatoes at the end to lightly saute with the veggies. I'm just happy I didn't end up throwing out perfectly good orzo and I managed to get a side dish and a lunch out of it as well. Not bad in the end.